Lynn's quick goal stuns Mercyhurst in D-II soccer semifinal

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It took just 38 seconds for Lynn to establish its advantage in experience, and 90 minutes to end Mercyhurst's quest for a Division II soccer championship.

Graduate student forward Julian Halder ripped a shot from the top of the box to the upper-right corner of the goal netting in the first minute, and the Fighting Knights were on their way to a 4-1 win over the Lakers in their semifinal at Blanchard Woods Park in Evans, Ga.

Lynn (18-3-1), from Boca Raton, Fla., a three-time champion and 2011 runner-up, will meet Saginaw Valley State Saturday at noon in the championship game.

SVSU (18-2-4), a former opponent for Mercyhurst in the GLIAC until the Lakers joined the PSAC in 2008, beat Canadian team Simon Fraser (19-2-1) 3-1 in the second semifinal of the day.

The Lakers (17-6-1) had won nine straight, but were knocked on their backside by the stunning early goal and overall dominance throughout the match.

"We conceded that early goal, and it made it difficult for us,'' Mercyhurst coach Dale White said. "Obviously, they were much more mature and experienced. But we showed that we can play at this level, and we passed the ball for periods of the game better than they did.''

But the Lakers, making their third Final Four appearance and first since 2002, could not get the ball past senior goalkeeper Matt DiCerbo until sophomore defender Ryan Lund scored their only goal on a header with 9 minutes remaining, the outcome long since decided.

Austria's Halder, Lynn's leading scorer and one of 20 foreign players and 15 grad students on the Lynn roster, got a pass from Heiko Eberhardt and startled the Lakers with the quick goal.

"Their guy muscled his way through, and finished really well,'' White said. "They're disciplined, with a professional approach.''

Lynn, outshooting Mercyhurst 17-5 for the game and 9-3 in shots on goal, kept up the pressure. Halder popped a header over 'Hurst keeper Mikko Sarkkinen for a 2-0 lead at the 38-minute mark.

Sophomore Jack Winter, who assisted on the second goal, connected in the 59th minute, and senior Anthony Desperito scored in the 80th minute.

Less than a minute later, Lund, a co-captain, took a ball from Dan Rimko and redirected it for the Mercyhurst goal.

"I was a little frustrated. I think we all were,'' Lund said of his team that got two yellow cards in the game. "My roomie (Rimko) gave me a great ball. At least we got on the board, but it was a little too late.''

White said mistakes from his team, which has 14 sophomores and freshmen, crippled any momentum.

"There were two goals that were mistakes, including the first one,'' White said. "Take them out, and it's only 2-1 and we have a chance at the end. We played very well for periods and cut them open two or three times, but when we finally scored, that didn't affect their confidence level.''

Third-leading scorer, senior midfielder Austin Solomon, had the other two shots on goal for the Lakers.

Mercyhurst's top scorer Alex Manea, a graduate student forward and Atlantic Region player of the year, did not get off a shot.

White lauded his team for their effort in a season that began with three straight losses.

"We've got players that match them in ability, but they seemed to have more depth and strength than we have, and are further down the road than we are as far as experience,'' he said. "But give credit to our guys. They had a phenomenal achievement, given that you play 18 games and lose the first three, then clawed back into the conference (playoffs), the regional, and then the Final Four. Given that, it's remarkable.''